Obama Library Site Selection Will Raise New Questions On South Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the official announcement coming Tuesday that the Barack Obama Presidential Library and Museum will be built in Chicago, comes a host of other questions, from exactly where it will be built, to the impact the project will have on small businesses on the South Side.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and officials at the Barack Obama Foundation were scheduled to make the formal announcement that the University of Chicago has won the bid for the library Tuesday morning, followed by a noon press conference.
While sources have already revealed the University of Chicago won out over bids from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Columbia University in New York, and the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, what is not yet clear is if the library will go in Jackson Park or Washington Park – the two sites offered by the U of C.
It's possible the Obama Foundation – the private group raising money to build the library – will keep their options open while selecting an architect for the facility.
For some residents of the area, the selection of the University of Chicago's bid means some uncertainty. While the library is expected to generate up to $600 million in economic development, it also could mean gentrification of the neighborhood around the facility, which could force out some small businesses.
Some residents also have expressed concerns that landlords could sell their residential buildings after the library goes up, leading to higher rents that could force them to relocate.
The city also likely will end up making improvements to public transit facilities and other infrastructure near the library, to make the site more accessible to the public. The mayor also has vowed to make up for parkland that is being given up to build the library. Where or when that new parkland would be built remains unclear.